Door-catch-operating mechanism.



A. AKERHIELM.

DOOR CATCH OPERATING MECHANISM. :APPLICATION FILED Dsc. z. Ism.

1,1 58,881. I Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

i Irun 4simens ramena enrich.

n ALBERT AKERIIIELIVI, or cinc-Aero, ILLINOIS, AssIGNoR, BY I/Insivfn'.essIelvivIniITs, To

'UNI-MOTION DOOR HANDLE C0., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DooR-cATcH-OISERATING MEcI-IANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

Application filed December 2,1914.` Serial Noi 875,097.

To all whom it may conce/m.' f

Be it known thatI, ALBERT AKERIIIELM, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Catch-Operating- Mechanisms, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to an improved form ofoperating mechanism for door catches, particularly adapted for use in connection with the form of catches or combined catches and locks commonly installed in store doors and usually operable by the depression of a pivoted lever extending from each face of the door. Catches of this construction are common-in the art, and are found either in the form of catches alone or more usually in the form of combined catches and locks. kind are usually housed in a casing, one edge of which is cutaway to expose the end of a plunger 'contained in the casing for operating the catch.l While my invention does not pertain directly to the catch construction or its housing, it is -so intimately associated therewith'and depends upon it for its utility that I have shown in the drawings a common form of catch construction. which is described in detail below in relation to my 1mproved operating mechanism.

It is apurpose of my invention to provide an operating mechanism in which the pivoted lever construction, as well as all devices of'any kind other than the handle of the door itself, are eliminated, and the handle, while it has every appearance of being simplyV for the purpose of moving the door to its open or closedposition, as desired, in

turbing the catch casing and affording when installed a simpler and more eective operating device than is provided by means of the ordinary pivoted `lever construction.

Catches 'of this general The catch-operating mechanism forms no part of the catch construction or its housing and yetmay be readily mounted upon the door so as to operate any particular form of standard catch of the class referred to. As catches for store doors are usually provided with combined locks and catches, the key receptacles extending outwardly from the catch and lock housing with which locks of this kind are ordinarily provided afford a convenient means for engaging the mounting plates of my improved handle construction, so that even an inexperienced person may readily mount the handle and operating device upon a door containing the lock and catch already in use.

The several drawings illustrating my invention are as follows:

Figure l shows a part of a door in front elevation with my handle mounted thereon; Fig. 2 is a view taken from the left of the parts shown in Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a view partially in section of aportion of the door and catch shown in Fig. l, the section being taken along a plane parallel with the outer surface of the'door; Fig. 4 shows in a vertical section taken at right-angles to the plane ofthe outer face of the door through the center line of the handle and shows a part of the handle construction and the relation of the operating mechanism to the lower portion of the catch` casing; and Fig. 5 shows in a vview similar to Fig. et a modified form of mechanism for operating the catch by movement of the handle rod.

. Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the .several views.

As shown in Figs. l and 2, the doorV 1 is provided with a combined catch and lock 2 having outwardly extending key receptacles 3 and 4 from either side thereof. The mounting plates 5 and 6 secured upon opposite faces of the door by screws, as indicated, are provided near their upper ends with circular openings which iit the key extensions 3 and 4:. The plates 5 and 6 have reciprocally mounted in them at their central and lower portions two cylindrical rods or tubes 7 and 8, the outer ends ofwhich'are rigidly connected together in any desired manner by the handles 9 and l0. Thus the rods 7 and 8 and the handles 9 and l() together constitute a rigid rectangular framework guided bv the mounting plates 5 and 6 so as to be freely capable of a limited amount of motion through the door, in one direction to actuate the catch and in the other direction to rel" means. The point of the cam or wedge 12,

lesY

which is preferably made of steel, is nor- Y mally in close proximity to the lower edge of the plunger 13 mounted so as to reciprocate vertically in the catch :casing 14, asV

shown in Fig. 3. Theupper end of the plunger 13 engages a lever 15 pivotally mounted in the casing 14 at 16, and the upper end of this lever in turn engages a disk 17 secured to the right-hand end of the catch rod or bar 18, to the left-hand Vend of which the beveled catch 19 is secured. A compression spring 2O surrounds the rod 18 with its ends resting against the right-hand face of the catch `19 and the left-hand face of an abutment'21 carried by the casing 14 so as to maintain the catch in its left-hand or outer position'unless the plunger 18 isgoperated.

x It will be observed that the spring 20 also serves to normally hold the lever 15 and the plunger 13 in the positionindicated in Fig. 3. The plates 5 and 6 and the handles 9 and 10 are preferably similar, although they need not necessarily be so, and when similar, the only care that need be exercised in mounting the device upon a door is that the cam 12 shall be located on the side of the catch casing in the direction of motion of closing the door. A spring 22 is secured, as indicated, to the inner face of the plate 5, and its ends engage suitable openings therefor in the rods 7 and 8 to normally hold the rods in the position indicated in Figs. 2 and 4. While this spring is shown as a flat leaf spring, it will be understood that any form of spring or springs may be employed for this purpose without departing from the spirit of my invention. The catch-operating device is preferably provided with a lock 23 pivoted to the plate 5 at'24 and constructed so that when it is moved to the position indicated in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2 it enters a slot provided therefor in the lower surface of the rod 8 so as to prevent movement of.

the handle construction. When moved to its position indicated in dotted lines it releases the handle and permits operation of the catch. It will be understood that this lock may be placed upon either of the plates 5 and 6, and that its position is determined by the `direction in which the door swings, the lock being always located of course on the Y inside of the room closed by the door. It 'f is not essential that the lower rod 8 should beV engaged by the lock, as thesame may be,

if preferred, located so'as tol correspondingly Vengage the rod 7 Furthermore, thel lock 23 ing rod 7 is determined bythe openings formed in the plates 5 and 6 to surroundand engage the key-holders 3 and 4 so that the proper location of the catch-operating mechanism upon a door provided with the standardcatchconstruction 1sV a simplev matter. Littleexpenseis involved inV mounting the operating mechanism upon a door for the reason that all that is required` is to bore the two holesvthrough the door for the accommodation of the rods V7 and 8 and cut the necessary clearance for the spring 22 fand cam 12. Y Y Y i It will Abe understood that there are'forms of catch constructions involving different kinds ofmechanism between the actuating plungers and the catches, but that most of these various constructions* are Vbuilt, of standard: dimensions so that the improvedV motion of the rod 7, it is in practice advisa ble'to provide additional stops in the way Vof projecting screws or pins 26, as indicated in Fig. 4, for limiting this motion.

The operating handles may be given a wide variety of constructions, the essential feature in carryingoutmy invention being that a part of this handle construction shall be a rod carrying or cooperating with devices for operating the plunger of the catch construction, and the handle construction and its connecting rods may be made of solid or tubular rods, asY desired, with any particular kind of ornamentation that may suit the fancy of the maker or user. y Itis immaterial whether the operating rod 7 be of round or of other cross-section, although it is preferable toV have it round to facilitate the construction. It is also not necessary in carrying out my invention to employ Vthe Y i 27 so fas to push thek plunger 13a stop 29 is moved to the left moves the lever in an upward direction, and thus actuate the catch. It is also immaterial in What manner the rods 7 and 8 are mounted in the plates 5 and 6, as such mounting may be formed either by portions of the plates themselves Without special reinforcement or bushings of one kind or another may be carried by the plates 5 and 6 to afford any desired degree of bearing surface for said rods 7 and 8.

V From the above it Will be seen that by my invention I provide an operating mechanism for standard door catches which is entirely separate from the catch construction and at the same time is of a type requiring the use in connection with the mounting plates of only some form of handle used to move the door to its open or closed position, and that said handle, Without any Vthought on the part of the operator, by the effort exerted upon it to open or close the door automatioally by the same motion actuates the catch, removing it from engagement With its striking plate in opening the door, and for the opposite direction of motion of the handle releasing the catch so that it again engages the striking plate to hold the door in its closed position; and, furthermore, that While theoperating mechanism is separate from and independent of the catch construction, Where the catch construction is also provided vvith a lock, as is ordinarily the case, the location of the operating mechanism upon a door is accurately and con-l veniently determined by projecting parts of the lock-operating mechanism ofv the combined lock and catch so that the operating mechanism may be properly mounted in place Without careful measurements or Workmanship.

While I have shown my invention in the particular embodiments above described, it Will be understood that I do not limit myself to these constructions, as my invention Will be realized by the use of any equivalent devices or means for accomplishing the described results. y

What I claim is:

1. In an operating mechanism for com` bined standard catches and locks, the combination of a pair of mounting'plates one for location upon either side of a door and having openings therethrough for engaging key-holders extending from the combined catch and lock, a pair of substantially hori- Zontal rods extending through said mounting plates and capable of being reciprocated relatively to the mounting plates, a pair of handles connecting the ends of the rods, a cam carried by one of the rods for engaging and operating the catch ofl the combined catch and lock, and a spring for holding the cam inits inoperative position, the mounting plates and parts carried thereby being entirely outside and independent of the combined catch and lock casing.

2. In an `operatingmechanism for combinedstandard catches and locks, the combination ofa pair of mounting plates one for location upon either side of a door and having openings therethrough for engaging key-holders extending from the combined catch and lock, a pair of substantially horizontal rods extending through said mounting plates and capable of being reciprocated relatively to the mounting plates, a pair of handles connecting the ends of the rods, a cam carried by one of the Vrods for engaging and operating the catch of the combined catch and lock, a spring for holding the cam in its inoperative position, the mounting plates and parts Acarried thereby being entirely outside and independent of the combined catch and lock casing, and a lock for preventing reciprocation of said horizontal rods relatively to the mounting plates.

In `an operating mechanism for combined standard catches and locks, the combination of a pair of mounting plates one for location upon either side of a door and having openings therethrough for engaging key-holders extending from the combined catch and lock, a pair of substantially hori- Zent-al rods extending through said mounting plates and capable of being reciprocated relatively to the mounting plates, a pair of handles connecting the ends of the rods, devices operated by one of the rods for actuating the catch of the combined catch and lock, and a spring for holding said devices in inoperative position, the mounting plates and parts carried thereby being entirely outside and independent of the combined catch and lock casingr il. In an operating mechanism for combined standard catches and locks, the combination of a pair of mounting plates one for location upon either side of a door and having openings therethrough for engaging key-holders extending from the combined catch and lock, a pair of substantially horizontal rods extending through said mounting plates and capable of being reciprocated relatively to the mounting plates, a pair of handles connecting the ends of the rods, devices operated by one of the rods for actuating the catch of the combined catch and lock, a spring for holding said devices in inoperative position, the mounting plates and parts carried thereby being entirely outside and independent of the combined catch and lock casing, and a lock for preventing reciprocation of said horizontal rods relatively to the mounting plates.

5. In an operating mechanism for combined standard catches and locks, the combination of a pair of mounting plates one for location upon either side of a door and provided with openings for engaging key- `holding means projecting from the com- A bined catch and lock tolocate the plates upon the doorga handle located outside of each mounting plate, a rod connecting the handles and capable of longitudinal reciprocation through bearings therefor in the mounting plates, and a cam carried by the rod for operating the catch of the combine-d catch and lock, the parts constituting said combination being independent of the catch and lock casing.

6. in an operating mechanism for combined standard catches and locks, the combination of a pair of mountingplates one for location upon either side of a door and provided with openings for engaging keyholding means projecting from the combined catch and lock to locate the plates upon the door, a handle located outside of each mounting plate, a rod connecting thc handles and capable of longitudinal recipro-V cation thrcugh bearings therefor in the mounting plates, and mechanism in opera-Y tive relation to the rod adapted for moveA ment by reciprocation by said rod to actuate the catch of the combined catch and lock, the parts constituting said combination beino' independent of the catch and lock casing.

In an operating mechanism for combined standard catches and locks, the combination ofV a pair of 'mounting plates one lfor location upon either side of a door and provided with openings for engaging keyholding means projecting from the combined catch and lock to locate the plates upon the door, a handle loca-ted outside of each mounting plate, a rod connecting the handles and capable of longitudinal reciprocation through bearings therefor in theV mounting plates, a cam carried by the rod for operating the catch of the combined lcatch and lock, and a spring for holding the rod in a position to releasev said catch, the parts cons-tituting said combination being independent of the catch and lock casing.

8. In an operating mechanismfor combined standard catches and locks, the combination of a pair of mounting plates one for location upon either side of a door and provided with openings for engaging keyholding means projecting from the combined catch and lock to locate the plates` upon the door, a handle located outside of each mounting plate, a rod connecting the handles and capable of longitudinal reciprocation through bearings therefor' in the mounting plates. mechanism in operative relation to the rod adapted for movement by reciprocation by saidrod to actuate the catch of the combined catch and lock, and aspring for holding the rod in a position to release said catch, the parts constituting said combination being independent of the catch and lock casing.

. 9.k In an operating mechanism forfstand-v ard catches having a member located at one edge of the catch casing for operating the catch, the combination of a pair ofmounting plates, a rodV supported in the mounting plates and capable of'longitudinal reciprocation therethrough, vand mechanism associated With the mounting plates foroperating said member when the rod'isreciprocated through the plates, thejparts constituting said combination being independent of the catch casing. Y Y

l0. In an operating mechanism for standard catches having a member located at one edge of the catch casing foi` operating the catch, the combination of a'pair of mounting plates,'a rodsupportedin the mounting e plates and capable of longitudinal reciprocation therethrough, mechanism associated with the mounting` plates for operating said member y when the rod is reciprocated through the plates, and a spring for holding the rod in a position to release said member,

the parts constituting said combination being independent ofthe catch casing.

Y 11. In an operating mechanism forstandard catches having a member located at one-- edge of the catch casing for operating the catch, the combination of apair of mounting plates, a rod supported in the mounting plates and capable of longitudinal reciprocation therethrough, and a cam carriedby the rod for moving saidmember when the rod is reciprocated through the plates, the parts constituting said combination'being independent of the catch casing.

Y 12. In an operating mechanism for" standard catches having a member located at one edge of thecatch casing for operating the catch, the combination of apair of mounting plates, a rod supported in the mounting plates and capable of longitudinal reciprocation therethrough, a cam carried bythe rod for movingv said member VWhenthe'rod is reciprocated through the'plates, and a spring for holding the rod in a position to release said member, the parts constituting said combination beingindependent of the catch casing. f

13. In an operating mechanism for Vcombined standard catches and locks, the combiing plates and capable of being reciprocated Y relatively to the mounting plates, a pair of handles connecting the ends of the rods, a cam carried by one of the rods for engaging and operating the catch of the combined'catch and lock, a spring for holdingY the camV in its inoperative position, the mounting plates andparts carried thereby being entirely outside and independent of the combined catch and lock casing, and stops carried by the horizontal rods or limiting the motion of the rods through the mounting plates. a

14. In an operating mechanism for combined standard catches and locks, the combination of a pair of mounting plates one for location upon either side of a door and having openings therethrough for engaging key-holders extending from the combined catch and lock, a pair of substantially horizontal rods extending through said mounting plates and capableof being reciprocated relatively to the mounting plates, a pair of handles connecting the ends of the rods, a cam carried by one of the rods for engaging and operating the catch ofV the combined catch and lock, a spring for holding the cam in its inoperative position, the mount ing plates and parts carried thereby being entirely outside and independent of the combined catch and lock easing, and a lock for preventing reciprocation of the horizontal rods through the mounting plates.

l5. In an operating mechanism for standard catches having a member located at one edge of the catch casing for operating the catch, the combination of a mounting plate, a rod supported by the mounting plate for reciprocation longitudinally of said rod, and mechanism associated with the mounting plate for operating said member when the rod is reciprocated, said combination being independent of the catch casing.

16. In an operating mechanism for standard catches having a member located at one edge of the catch casing for operating the catch, the combination of a mounting plate, a rod supported by the mounting plate for reoiprocation longitudinally of said rod, mechanism associated With the mounting plate for operating said member When the rod is reciprocated, and a lock for preventing recprocation of the rod, said combination being independent of the catch casing.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 27th day of November, A. D., 1914.

ALBERT AKERHIELM.

Witnesses:

ALBERT C. BELL, L. E. HANNEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

